Next time you’re out and about, take a moment to notice how many people around you are wearing technology-enabled accessories. While not yet ubiquitous, wearable technology is making its way into our lives as an everyday part of our wardrobes−and for people with vision loss, such emerging technologies are providing unprecedented access to information about the world around them.

Jeff Bigham of Carnegie Mellon University discusses how computer scientists rely on crowdsourced testing to make technologies more accessible, and how the flexibility of crowd work intersects with growing opportunities in the gig economy for people with disabilities.

People with various permanent, temporary, situational, or changing disabilities access the web in different ways. Check out the following tips to ensure that everyone can use your website—regardless of whether they can manipulate a mouse, their level of vision, how many colors they can see, how much they can hear, or how they process information.

Researcher Martez Mott is working to create new touch interaction techniques for mobile technologies using machine-based learning. In this episode, he explains how this emerging technology will improve workplace technology with touch screens by allowing users with a range of motor abilities to customize their touch techniques.

PEAT's 2017 Think Tank meeting explored key issues related to accessible workplace technology through working groups and rich facilitated discussions with 63 participants representing industry, government, academia, and the disability community. The event generated several tangible recommendations for closing the accessible technology skills gap, expanding government apprenticeship and workforce programs for people with disabilities, and encouraging the development of accessible products.

Here at PEAT, we spend a lot of time talking about the importance of accessible technology in the workplace. But how do we ensure that budding computer engineers and programmers have the skills they need to develop accessible tech in the first place?

Scott Wiseman and Joe Bielawski discuss how the gig economy is helping the government to staff up, push projects forward, and increase efficiency—and the opportunities this may offer to job seekers with disabilities.

Resources for getting started with web accessibility. While the average employee doesn’t need to know the nuts and bolts of web accessibility, you’ll want to ensure that anyone involved with the website understands how to upload accessible content.

PEAT is funded by the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor. PEAT material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Office of Disability Employment Policy, U.S. Department of Labor, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.